Material such as paper, foil, various types of plastics, metal and the like is commonly stored and shipped in generally cylindrical rolls in a multi-layer stack. To prevent damage, it is desirable to have the rolls in each stack spaced from each other in secure locations. Further, the rolls need to be horizontally supported in a manner which does not damage the material in the rolls.
Heretofore, molded supports of polystyrene have been provided for this purpose. To make up a stack, there are middle support members molded to have upwardly facing indentations, each to receive the bottom surface of a roll, and downwardly facing indentations which seat on the upper surfaces of a lower layer of rolls. In addition, molded half supports are provided at the bottom of the stack on a pallet and half supports at the top of the stack. The bottom supports have a flat lower side with upwardly facing indentations for the lower tier of rolls. The supports at the top of the stack have downwardly facing indentations and a flat upper surface. The entire stack may be three, four or other desired number high and arranged to form a generally rectangular box-like stack which can be covered with plastic sheeting or other material and strapped to form a shipping or storage unit.
There are a number of disadvantages to polystyrene supports of this type. It is necessary to provide two molded components, one being the middle supports which have both upwardly and downwardly extending indentations to receive the rolls to be stacked, and half supports for the top and bottom of the stack. This requires separate molds for the two pieces. As a result, there are double part numbers and increased inventories of stack forming members. Polystyrene molded supports of this type are relatively costly.
Although molded polystyrene supports have some flexibility to accommodate roll variations, the degree of reformation is sometimes inadequate for the amount of variation encountered. In addition, when supports are shipped by truck or other means, or placed in inventory, they are not nestable or subject to only limited nesting. Thus, they take up substantial space.
When a stack is taken apart when the rolls are to be used, disposal of used polystyrene supports is a problem. The material from which they are molded is non-biodegradable. Disposal in a landfill is thus undesirable. If there is a fire, polystyrene supports give off dangerous fumes.
To overcome these problems with polystyrene supports, heretofore stack supports have been provided for rolls made of molded papier-mache in a single two section structure foldable along a seam to provide middle support sections with upwardly and downwardly extending roll engaging cavities, and the sections being easily separable to provide top and bottom pieces for use in the formation of a stack.
However, molded papier-mache supports may not have sufficient structural strength to handle heavy rolls. It is therefore necessary to design paper-mache supports which will hold up in use to provide a secure stack whether the supports are separated pieces at the top or bottom of a stacked or folded sections at the middle of a stack.
One object of this invention is to provide papier-mache stack supports having downwardly extending strengthening lands on two side-by-side support sections, the lands being engageable with a flat supporting surface when the sections are side-by-side, and the lands on one section being engageable with lands on the other section when the supports are pivoted and folded relative to each other to provide middle roll supports.
Another object of this invention is to provide molded papier-mache stack supports of a texture having flexibility whereby the fibers in the supports are subject to some remolding when engaged by heavy rolls, to accommodate rolls which may be somewhat undersized, oversized or out of round.
Another object of this invention is to provide stack supports of the type described wherein the cradles of the sections have sides along said seam sloped away from each other to facilitate pivoting of one section relative to its related section.
A further object of this invention is to provide stack supports as described and having a hole in each end of each section through which straps may be extended for wrapping a stack.